As a native speaker of “Parisian French” in Canada, many prospective immigrants and local English speakers ask me what I think of “Québécois,” aka “Quebec French,” the predominant variety of French spoken here.
I have many stories related to Quebec French. Some vocabulary words are different and left me puzzled at first. In my first job, as a bilingual call centre agent, I sometimes had a hard time understanding callers from French-speaking Canada—and they couldn’t understand me either!
But these are just anecdotes. Quebec French is still French. Sure, there are differences in the variety of French spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland, French-speaking Africa, etc. But all these flavours of French still share the same roots, the same grammar, and the same spelling.
I often compare the differences between Quebec French and “Parisian” French to the differences between American English and British English, or to the many varieties of Spanish spoken in Latin America.
I was a French as a second language teacher for four years in Ottawa, and I can guarantee you that students could understand teachers from Quebec, France and French-speaking Africa just fine.
Informal speech, in both Parisian French and Quebec French, is definitely the hardest to grab, because it is intrinsically linked to the culture and is full of neologisms. But don’t worry, you will get to pick up some cool slang once you live there long enough—especially if you attend a few Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs games!
Meanwhile, here are ten great resources to work on your Quebec French language skills before or after you arrive in Canada.
La Presse
Founded in 1884, La Presse is the largest French-language daily in America, publishing local, national and international news. It’s a great way to learn more about Quebec and to build vocabulary. The articles are well-written and support a whole spectrum of opinions.
Radio Canada
This is the only francophone network in Canada to broadcast over the air in all Canadian provinces. Le français au micro, a linguistic tips show offered by Radio Canada’s language adviser Guy Bertrand, is very interesting.
TV5Québec Canada
The French-language global television channel offered a series of 12 three-minute-long videos on the French language in Canada. These are available online for free.
Language Portal of Canada
This government-owned website focuses on Canada’s two official languages, English and French, and supports the promotion of bilingualism. It offers writing tools (with conjugation, grammar, spelling, specialized dictionaries, etc.), language games and articles on languages in Canada.
Resumes and Cover Letters in French
You may want to have a French version of your resume and cover letter, especially if you live in a bilingual city like Ottawa. Service Canada has an informative section on cover letters in French, including tips and samples, on the informative Guichet emplois website. It also offers tips on resume writing, including the different sections you should include.
Office québécois de la langue française
The Quebec Board of the French Language is a public organization that defines and conducts Quebec’s policy pertaining to linguistic officialization, terminology and francization of public administration and businesses. It offers many online resources, including a lexical dictionary, language games, and tips.
ConjugArt
A useful tool to help you conjugate French verbs.
Quebec French (Slang) Dictionary
This dictionary features slang and informal French, and it includes many colourful expressions you may hear in Quebec.
Government of Canada Tests of Proficiency in the Second Official Language
Those interested in working for the federal government will probably need to take language tests, in French, English, or in both languages. You will find a lot of information about the language evaluations on this website, including an information brochure for candidates with test descriptions.
A friend of mine who recently did the French citizenship test told me it had Quebecois French in it, so these resources could be useful for your non-native readers in France too!
Good point! I took the citizenship test in English, so I didn’t know 😉
Interesting… Quebecois French.. I’d say that’s a bit odd seeing that you are asking to take a test for citizenship in French or English, but I gather it’s not too different.. Great resources! Will have to check them out as ultimately Cam may be going to French school.
Oh, that’s cool! Do you have French schools in B.-C.?
I don’t mean to self-promote, but I wrote a book called ‘Le québécois en 10 leçons’ that would be an excellent starting point, as well.
Tu es le bienvenue! C’est pas de la promo malvenue quand le lien est bon et aide 😉
Hi Zhu,
I have been reading your blog with interest for the past few years.
I really enjoy the photographs and all the information included on your site.
I was wondering what you mean exactly when you say that your students could understand all accents? Really?
I grew up in Ottawa but normally live in France. When I was still in Ottawa, I could understand Québécois French (or maybe I just thought I could), but now that I live in France I find I have a really hard time understanding the Québécois accent. The hardest accents to understand are elderly people’s accents.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Teresa,
Nice to meet you! You are a translator as well, aren’t you?
I agree, elderly people’s accents in Quebec (and in France!) are harder to understand. I think that most teachers adopted a “neutral” accent when teaching and since students had teachers from Africa, France, Quebec, etc. they got used to various accents faster.
Interesting read! Learning the French of Québec doesn’t have to be any more difficult than learning the French of France. It’s just a question of getting the right kind of language exposure.
The formal varieties of French in Québec and France are similar. It’s at the informal level of language where learners find that things become more challenging.
I write a blog called OffQc, where you can explore a lot of the informal features of Québec French. I’ve also transcribed a lot of videos so that you can listen and follow along with the text.
Thank you for the link, I will check it out tonight. As a translator, I find language-related articles and topics fascinating 🙂
Really cool! I stumbled upon your french reesource page trying to figure out some differences that I’m having such a hard time understanding because I learned Parsian/Swiss French as opposed to Quebcois. For one, I still can’t figure out if I ever heard the word Sourier ever used in Europe… I don’t think so… It’s still very hard for me to understand coming from someone who was not yet fluent to begin with…
“Souriez”, I understand. But “sourier”? Not sure! The infinitive is “sourire”. I’m brain dead so it might be me 😆
There are still many words in Québécois I’m not too sure of, including clothing items, office furniture (folders, filing cabinet, etc.). I generally understand what people mean but I wouldn’t use this specific word myself.